Page:Final Report of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.pdf/526



chain-of-command, and instructed followers to go "incognito" on January 6th. The Proud Boys had made their presence known at previous pro-Trump events, including "Stop the Steal" rallies, where they brandished their black and yellow apparel and engaged in street brawls. Suddenly, they did not want to stand out from the crowd. They wanted to blend in. They were planning something big.

Tarrio allegedly used encrypted messages to plot the January 6, 2021, attack. On January 4, 2021, Tarrio told his men that they should "storm the Capitol." While the attack was underway, Tarrio claimed credit in a private chat, writing: "We did this." And on the evening of January 6th, Tarrio released a video of a man, presumably Tarrio himself, dressed in an odd costume standing in front of the U.S. Capitol. The eerie production had been recorded prior to the events of that day. Tarrio—who was not in Washington, DC on January 6th—titled it, "Premonition."

The Oath Keepers, a far-right, anti-government militia movement—also described in more detail below—began planning for January 6th after the President's tweet as well. Stewart Rhodes, the group's leader, had agitated against the U.S. Government for years. Immediately following the 2020 presidential election, Rhodes and others schemed to stop the peaceful